Council on Aging

City of Chicopee Council of Aging February 20, 2024 . Members Present: S. Tawrel, S. Gelinas, K. Rousseau, D. Naumchick, C. Gemme, & M. Rider, H. Lenhart, K. LaBreck Excused: S. Michalik, L. Houle I. Call to order ▪ The meeting was called to order at 4:45pm. There was no request to record the meeting. ▪ Excused: S. Michalik, II. Public input ▪ No public input this meeting III. Review of minutes • Minutes from the December 12, 2023, meeting were reviewed and accepted. IV. Business Reports A. Executive Directors Report • Sherry reviewed the directors report for January. The center received another vehicle but is still waiting for the van that was purchased with ARPA funding. The center has received a number of grants that need to be approved by the board of directors: • Care Giver Respite Grant • Polish Credit Union • CBBG for $18000 to support fitness classes. Sherry distributed a report on all of the exercise classes as part of pursuing the grant and this was distributed to the board. It costs the center $30,000 to pay for instruction and there is a loss of $12904 for the programming and this grant will cover the gap. • Technology Grant to purchase Alexas, Fitbit, and other loaners. This grant will also support a small stipend fo the volunteers who assist in the program  • Gardening grant to expand the program for this very popular program. The center will work on farm to table gardening to support the lunch program. • Formula Grant • Care giver assistance • WMEC title grant III • Polish Credit Union grant • Nutrition and Innovation from MCOAH • Motion and second by D. Naumchik K. LaBreck to approve the grants that have been received: • Motion unanimously approved B. Café and Kitchen Revenue Report • The Café had very good sales in the December of $6500. The profit was $1068.48. Leftovers are very popular. There have been several instances when visitors became angry with staff because they are sold out. A sign has been posted requesting kindness. • The Café and Kitchen report from January was reviewed and there was a profit of $1694. The lunch program had a loss of about $600 with the move to $2.00 per participant. There is a $50000 ARPA grant that is sustaining the loss. C. Fiscal Reports • Sherry reported that the center is within budget for December. The program tech has moved over to the Formula grant for salary the rest of the year. The center remains on target for all budget lines. The fiscal report was unanimously approved. • The fiscal report for January 2024 was reviewed and the budget is in line with projections. It was noted that the center now has 3 custodians, one for early morning, evenings and then one person is a maintenance tech who helps with handyman types of issues. The January report was unanimously approved by the group. D. Marketing Strategies • There was a marketing campaign with WWLP last year and there was a very positive response, with almost 100 new members each month related to the publicity. The cost was about $13000 for the campaign overall. The new membership count is now going down with only about 42 for February. This indicates that the impact of the campaign is fading.  The group discussed running a new campaign to maintain the influx of new members. A question was raised whether the center could support large numbers of new people. Sherry and Jonah noted they see a number of new people all participating in classes. They have had to turn people away from some of the exercise classes. Sherry noted that the center may need to go back to 2 seatings for the special dinners as well as even lunch due to the volume. The group discussed just sponsoring the Veterans Voices and holding off on other marketing at this time. Motion: Hold on renewal of marketing contract with WWLP with the exception of Veteran’s Voices by M. Rider and D. Motion unanimously approved. A question was raised regarding doing a needs assessment for expanding RiverMills. Sherry has discussed the need for expansion with F. Laflamme and J. Vieu. E. Accreditation • Sherry and Holly successfully completed the application for accreditation of RiverMills and are waiting for feedback. F. Wheelchair Van Grant • This grant will provide RiverMills to obtain another wheelchair van through the state. The van would be owned by the state and the center would need to pay 20% of the cost and maintenance. There are a number of stipulations that come with this program including documentation of maintenance etc. After 5 years the center is able to purchase the van based on current value. G. Staff Openings • The kitchen manager position has been open since the fall and an offer went out for a person to fill this positions. • There is a new driver position that is open, and the center has been interviewing for a candidate • The office manager position is open. Patsy has been the backup person for the position and is interested in the spot. Sherry is looking for board members to assist with the interview process. H. Formula Grant Annual Report  • Sherry completed the Formula Annual report, and it was distributed to the group. I. Exercise Classes • The price of the larger exercise class was raised from $1.00 to $2.00. The newer exercise class will be kept at $1.00. J. Gardening Grant • The center a gardening grant and this will help to garden for the kitchen use in the summer. Raised beds are used for all of the gardening due to site contamination. The grant is for approximately $8000. V. New Business A. Flooring in the large room • There was some feedback that the flooring in the larger room was looking worn and dirty. Sherry is seeking to replace the flooring in the lunchroom and the café. She is also looking to replace the chairs. These chairs will match the ones in the new Chamber building in City Hall. VI. Meeting adjourned at 5:45 pm • Next meeting is March 12, 2024 Submitted by Karen S. Rousseau